IT came as no surprise when Financial Express conferred its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on L&T Whole-Time Director & CFO Mr R Shankar Raman for his sterling contribution to the world of finance, in various roles, for nearly four decades.
Joining the L&T Group in 1994, Mr Shankar Raman, across the years, assumed responsibilities to oversee the entire finance function at the Group level. Appointed CFO and elevated to the Board in 2011, Mr Shankar Raman is also on the Board of Management of several L&T Group companies.
As CFO, he wears many hats. He strategises, manages risk, endorses environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, tracks the number of safe man-hours and spurs innovation. His ability to carry people with him plays a big part in addressing the challenges.
“These recognitions come our way because we happen to work for organisations and platforms which represent a larger cause”, Mr Shankar Raman said on receiving the honour.
Recognising the crucial role CFOs play in a company’s fortunes, The Financial Express aptly describes them as ‘the unsung heroes of the corporate world’ who shoulder big responsibilities, but whose efforts often go unappreciated. Working quietly behind the scenes to cope with changes in business cycles and volatile markets, CFOs do much more than simply balance the books. The CFO Awards were instituted to acknowledge, appreciate, honour and celebrate India’s best financial minds.
The distinguished jury was chaired by Mr Paresh Sukthankar (former Dy MD, HDFC Bank), and comprised Mr Amit Chandra (Chairperson, Bain Capital), Mr Pradip Shah (Chairman, IndAsia Fund Advisors), Mr Ajay Srinivasan (MD&CEO, Aditya Birla Capital) and Mr Amit Tandon (MD, IIAS). The award ceremony, hosted on 23 March, was presided over by Mr Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSME).
Quiet and unassuming, Mr Shankar Raman has been the recipient of several awards – such as the Best CFO of Asia in the Industrial Sector in a survey conducted by New York-based Institutional Investor magazine and has been conferred the Best CFO Awards by CNBC TV18, Business Today and Yes Bank.
Badminton, a five-km daily morning walk and a spot of yoga keep him slim and trim. He unwinds over P G Wodehouse and music, and can rustle up a mean
sambhar.
